A plane flies near smoke, rising from a wildfire near the village of Agia Sotira, west of Athens, on Thursday. [Reuters]
Residents in two neighborhoods near Athens were ordered to leave on Sunday as dozens of firefighters battled to contain a blaze fueled by strong winds and hot temperatures.
Near the town of Varnava, about 35 km north of the capital, more than 190 firefighters were trying to contain a fire that had reached homes by the end of the evening. They were supported by 40 trucks, 11 water bombers and five helicopters.
Fire crews were also tackling a fire in a wooded area near the town of Megara, west of Athens.
The fires sent thick brown smoke over parts of Athens.
Several other regions across Greece were on high alert for the risk of fire on Sunday and Monday.
Hundreds of wildfires have broken out across Greece this summer, which recorded the hottest June and July ever after the warmest winter. As elsewhere in the Mediterranean, scientists have linked the increasingly hot and dry weather to climate change.
Kostas Lagouvardos, the Athens Observatory’s research director, said the coming days were critical.
“What makes the situation so dangerous is the long drought and the very high temperatures that last a long time,” he told state broadcaster ERT. [Reuters]
